Indian American History
Is there a way to search easily to find if any ancestor was Native american?
I have a family tree that goes pretty far back. My grandmother always said our family came over on the mayflower and we were Native american. Turns out she was right about the mayflower; but wondering if she was right about the Native american history.
Answers
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Though FamilySearch does keep track of things like birth and death place and names - which can then be used to determine if your ancestor was among those who are known to have come across in the Mayflower.
Native American ancestry - can (often) be much trickier to get a black and white answer on.
In some case you may be able to bring up biographies / life stories that would indicate Native American ancestry. BUT FS does not really have an "ethnic" indicator on its person profiles that is set consistently - and even if it did - even then its not usually a black and white answer - its more a level of degree.
BUT if you want to take a DNA test - you should be able to pretty clearly tell if within the past 6 or so generations you have any full blooded Native Ancestry.
BUT the problem is - if it was more then like 6 or so generations - then chances are you have so little Native Ancestry DNA - that it becomes almost undetectable (unless you have the case that it is along your YDNA (Paternal line only) the father of your father of your father . . . . .
But maybe ask some of the more serious researchers on your lines - what they know about your Native Ancestry and see what they say.
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